I was surprised to read and research on this topic -I really did not believe it was possible-. Here is what I have learned, maybe this will help you too.
Can you get kicked off a plane for a crying child or baby? You can get kicked off a plane for almost any reason. Being kicked off a plane for a crying child has happened more than once. The flight attendants do not make the rules, but they do report to the airplane captain which has the final decision on whether to kick off a passenger or even divert the plane.
There is a public story about a Canadian celebrity who got kicked off the plane because her son was crying out loud.
Let me take you through it, and I’ll also get into several other reasons to get kicked off a plane.
You can get kicked off a plane for crying child
I have read a story on today.com about the Canadian musician Sarah Blackwood who reportedly got kicked of a United Airlines plane with her almost two-year-old son while being 7-months pregnant.
As the story is told, she was kicked off after her son was crying really loud on the plane, and began to run back and forth throughout the plane.
She tried to calm him down, and then she got approached by the flight attendants who warned her, that if she wasn’t able to control her son, then they would ask her to leave.
At that point, her son was so tired, and Today.com writes that he fell asleep, and it was only after the son fell asleep, that mother and sleeping child, got kicked off the plane.
This is just a short summary, of the story on Today.com. You will be able to read it in whole by following this link.
So, yes. You can get kicked off a plane for a crying child
I suspect, that the only reason why Today wrote up this story, was because it was about a musician, a celebrity. I am guessing that they would not have bothered with it if your everyday mom wrote in with the story.
So, I am also guessing, that this happens all the time it is only because it happens to a celebrity, that we are hearing about.
Actually, many of the stories, of people getting kicked off planes, are brought to light by pseudo-celebrities like bloggers, and Instagrammers, but also by the more famous celebrities.
Another sad story
A mom who took her high-functioning autistic daughter traveling. The flight was diverted after some commotion, and the mother and daughter were escorted off the plane.
Read more about it here.
3 tips from other travel-related websites
If you know or suspect that your kid will have a hard time traveling, here is something you can do to prepare for the next flight.
I put together this list, from the best tips by other travel-bloggers, and also this is the 3 most important things I would recommend doing to prepare.
#1 Do a proper technology detox before flying
This might be especially relevant if your kid is addicted to tablets or watching youtube and so on. And if you are a parent, you know kids can be addicted to this.
Do a detox weeks before traveling, and take away their tablets and reduce tv-time significantly. This will allow you to have the fight, that you will have with your child about this, before getting on the plane.
#2 Bring something to kill time
Toys, a notepad for drawing on, books, audiobooks, puzzles or “tiny toys”. You know best, how to distract your child if you do not know this yet. Then you will learn it when you do the technology-detox.
#3 Healthy snacks and lots of it.
This will help your kid’s ( and your own ) ears doing take off. This is a tip for over 3-year old kids because you need either hard-candy or carrots and other chewy stuff.
I do not recommend chewing gum for kids, but it is up to you. I know my kid would like carrots or snack peppers (i do not know how it is translated, but I think it’s called snack peppers)
20 Other reasons to get kicked off a plane
As it is ultimately the captain’s decision whether to kick you off or not, you can actually get kicked off for doing anything at all.
But here are 20 reasons, that is rooted in real stories that I found online. I have tried to include the sources of the story every time.
#1 Doing math
A 40-year-old man with a foreign accent and foreign look were kicked off for suspicion of being a terrorist in 2016.
Reportedly he was writing in his notebook and his seatmate couldn’t figure out what he was writing about.
He was asked to leave, and to undergo questioning. It was later revealed that he was writing differential math-equations. Menzio is told to be an award-winning, ivy league economist and scholar.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com…
#2 Dressing too differently
I can’t find a reputable source for these two stories, but here it is. Lorrie Heasley was, reportedly, kicked off a flight for wearing a political statement t-shirt with some foul-mouthed wordings on it.
And another story is about Atlantic Southeast airlines who removed a pair of American Muslims religious leaders because they wore traditional clothing, that made the other passengers uncomfortable.
As the story goes, they were actually heading for a conference about prejudices against Muslims in America.
#3 Smoking
Okay, this just needs no explanation. But I tell you this, when my girlfriend and I flew to New York some years ago, a man down the aisle, 4 or 5 rows from us, actually lit up a cigarette while waiting for taking off.
I was baffled and shocked by the ignorance, I remember thinking something like, it’s 2016 what the hell is he thinking?
Did not watch the entire situation, but from what I saw, he did not make any fuzz, when asked to put it out, I didn’t think he got kicked off, I just think that he actually did not know.
Which is quite surprising to me.
#4 Ignoring the instructions by flight attendants
There are several different stories, about celebrities and especially actors, who refuse to do what they are told.
Both Alec Baldwin, and the actor Josh Duhamel from the movie Transformers, has been kicked off a plane for refusing to turn off their phone.
The aircraft was on the runway and ready to fly, but turned around and got back to the gate, where the actor was escorted off the plane.
Read more about this story here: https://people.com/celebrity/j…
#5 Being too demanding
If you are too demanding, it is possible to get kicked off a plane. Reportedly three Arab women (princesses?) were kicked off a British Airways plane from Milan because they refused to sit next to men, they weren’t related to
This was the airline captains decision. I guess they should have thought about that, before taking off.
I mean, if they were real princesses, what weren’t they flying a private jet?
#6 Not wanting to sit next to a child
New York Post brings a story about a woman, who was kicked of the plane after refusing to sit next to a mom and her baby boy.
As the story goes, the female beauty consultant started to freak out and speak in a foul language, and the mom asked her not to use that kind of language around her 8 months old baby boy.
Then it escalated and when the flight attendant arrived, the woman started to threaten said flight attendant. A short time after that, she was kicked-off the Delta plane.
Read the whole story here: https://nypost.com/2018/02/14/…
#7-20 Is in another blog post
Do you want to read all 20 reasons to get kicked of an airplane? The read the entire blog post about, what can get you kicked off an airplane, right here.
What to do, if you get kicked off a plane
If you feel like you are wrongly treated by the airplane crew, you should file a complaint right away.
According to the US. Department of Transportation, you are entitled to reimbursement if you were “denied boarding” and if it especially if it was due to a less-serious reason, meaning, that you did not do something illegal.
If it is not a serious and illegal offense, you should get at new ticket by the same airline right after being kicked off, and I am guessing that if you were removed from the plane, for doing something illegal and dangerous, the police would be waiting for you when you get off.
I do think, that is very rare that people actually gets kicked off an airplane, and I do think that the captain always has to answer for their decision in a report or something like it.
But we all should be happy, that they are able to make such a decision, because it is certainly for the sake of our own safety, that they are able to to do it.
Safe travels!
NOTE: If you have ever been, or heard of anyone being booted off an airplane, write a comment below, and tell us your story!
…
